Our New Director Has Arrived!

It is our pleasure to introduce to you our new King’s Fold Director, Oz Lorentzen.  Oz has been married to Delynne for 16 years and they have two boys, Soren and Laec, who are their greatest joy. Oz and Delynne met while working at the One Way Adventure Foundation, a Christian organization working with juvenile delinquents and children in foster care.

Oz then pursued his education, finishing a BA at Trinity Western, an M.A. at Carleton University, and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies at Syracuse University, and he has worked as a faculty member and administrator in a variety of educational contexts. 

Oz’s motivation for pursuing education was a desire to “bridge the gap” between modern culture and Christianity, to make the message of the Gospel more relevant to both Christians and non-Christians.  Although formal education helped with his desire for engagement between cultural understanding and Christian faith, it was the discovery of contemplative prayer and spiritual reading that brought a deepening relationship with God, and a rediscovery of the "lost" dynamic of Christian living.

Here is how Oz articulates this priority: “I have come to see that the cultivation of a real, authentic, lived engagement with God (as Father, Beloved, Friend, Saviour, Lord) is a critical and urgent NEED in Evangelical culture.  I have, thus, taken every opportunity to speak, teach and guide others towards this - through work in Spiritual formation, teaching/preaching and spiritual direction inside and outside the academic community.  As I began my work in Christian education, God led me to these verses in II Corinthians 5, as a statement of my purpose:

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 

Oz’s main desire and heart's longing is to see others reconciled to God and to be a catalyst in this reconciliation.

Oz and Delynne are very excited about being part of the community at King's Fold.  Although Delynne will not be on staff at this time, she is eager to contribute to community life and the ministry of King’s Fold. Delynne brings expertise as an artist and a passion about the role of art and its use in the Christian life. We are confident that the boys will make a positive contribution to community life in their own way.

Liturgy, contemplative prayer and reading, rest, quiet, and, at times, solitude, wonder and awe at God’s love revealed in creation and one another are all significant aspects of Oz’s approach to spirituality.  For Oz, the historic Christian spiritual disciplines inform and enrich our experience.   Again, in Oz’s own words, “God is knowable best through the eyes of love. He has made this love available in Jesus Christ, the Spirit brings to fruition this life of love, and this is often best nourished by a quiet openness to God's working in prayer, the liturgy (church) and scripture.”

For the last 20+ years Oz has been involved in ministry. His most recent full-time ministry has been within a Christian educational context where mentoring and spiritual direction were key components of his work. He also served as interim pastor at Rosebud Evangelical Covenant Church for over a year. Oz has been actively engaged in preaching in his home church, in addition to other speaking/preaching engagements.

Oz brings a unique mixture of gifts in leadership, administration and teaching, combined with a deep passion for God and a desire to see the life of God formed in others.  Please join us in welcoming Oz, Delynne, Soren and Laec to the King’s Fold community and ministry.